By Philip O’Connor, Reuters.
Photo Credit: Premier League.
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal were staring down the barrel of a second straight Premier League defeat when they fell behind to Leeds United at home on Saturday, but tactical tweaks and inspired substitutions helped them bounce back to claim a 2-1 victory.
After frustrating the champions during the opening 45 minutes with stifling defending, Leeds took the lead through James Justin 10 minutes after the break, but Riccardo Calafiori equalised for Arteta’s side before substitute Bruno Guimaraes grabbed the winner in the 70th minute.
“They are extremely well-organised, they are very physical, they are committed in everything that they do,” Arteta told TNT Sports.
Arsenal’s last game before the lengthy international window ended in an embarrassing 3-0 defeat by Brighton & Hove Albion, and it looked like they might be frustrated again as their attacking play stuttered.
“When you don’t finish the actions, and we hit some great areas in the first half to have much more end product than we did, and we lost the ball just before the last action, and when that happens and they had moments to run, they are a threat,” Arteta explained.
“We keep fouling them, we give them throw-ins and restarts and set pieces. They are incredible the way they attack, the belief and the conviction they have to attack the box.”
Leeds came into Saturday’s clash unbeaten in the league, but Calafiori’s goal seemed to knock the wind out of their sails, and the introduction of Guimaraes in a triple substitution with Jurrien Timber and Viktor Gyokeres in the 63rd minute proved the turning point.
“We bring a lot of leadership in those three players – we brought a goal threat, we brought people who can win duels because it was very man-orientated, people that can get away from that, people that can play forward and penetrate. Against this high press, and they did an incredible job,” Arteta said.
With many of his players on international duty in recent weeks, Arteta has had to wait a long time to banish the memory of the Brighton defeat.
“Immediately after a bad result, and through weeks without your players, you just question, ‘Okay, how are we going to be?’,” he said. “We reacted incredibly well. We really need to enjoy the victory, because we are realising how this Premier League is going to pan out.”
Premier League Results
Chelsea 5-1 Bournemouth
Ipswich Town 2-1 Fulham
Aston Villa 2-2 Brendford
Sunderland 0-2 Brighton.